Creative-Motivated Tourists and Sustainability Outcomes in Thailand’s National Parks: A Propensity Score–Weighted Comparison

Whether creative tourism motivation distinguishes sustainability intentions and reported environmental behavior after accounting for visitor characteristics remains unclear. This study compared sustainable tourism intention (STI) and self-reported pro-environmental behavior (PEB) between creative-motivated and general tourists at ten high-visitation Thai national parks. Respondents endorsing at least one of seven creative motivations were classified as creative-motivated (n = 632 of N = 1120). Propensity score weighting balanced gender, generation, origin, education, income, and prior visitation; estimates were bootstrapped, and sensitivity to the classification threshold, model specification, park type, and unmeasured confounding was examined. After common-support trimming (N = 1114), balance was achieved (maximum |SMD| = 0.027). Creative-motivated tourists scored higher on STI (ATT = 0.248, 95% CI [0.162, 0.333], d = 0.34) and PEB (ATT = 0.239, 95% CI [0.136, 0.337], d = 0.28). The estimates did not differ significantly and do not establish that intention produced behavior. Conclusions apply to visitors at well-visited parks during the survey period. The study extends creative tourism to protected-area settings and demonstrates a design-based alternative to raw segment comparison. The proposed CARE framework, comprising Creative Integration, Action Support, Ranger Facilitation, and Experience Management, guides recommendations for participatory learning and responsible visitor conduct. Its effectiveness requires field evaluation.